


Stay a Little Longer

by ConjureUpaSmile



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bad Decisions, Complicated Relationships, Consensual Infidelity, M/M, Steve POV, Steve Rogers Has PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 18:14:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6868063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConjureUpaSmile/pseuds/ConjureUpaSmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He absolutely would not make eye contact with the well dressed man in the back tinkering with his phone.  A glance at the clock revealed that he still had three minutes before his presentation was scheduled to begin.  He thrummed his fingers against his art briefcase and decided that two minutes early was close enough.  </p>
<p>“Good morning, everyone,” Steve spoke as he turned to the committee. </p>
<p>He looked up as soon as Steve started talking, causing a legion of butterflies to take flight within Steve’s stomach.  He never could make things easy.  Steve took a steadying breath and plowed forward with his presentation. The sooner finished, the faster he could get away from Tony.</p>
<p>-----<br/>No superpowers AU where everything is complicated.  Steve came home from Afghanistan without a reason to live for.  Tony has been though a kidnapping gand betrayal and just wants to do the right thing.  Too bad it couldn't be that easy.  </p>
<p>Written amidst post CA:CW feels</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay a Little Longer

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, friends! I have returned. With the buildup to Cap 3, I just couldn't bring myself to finish a story. Hopefully now that it's out and I've seen it, I'll finally be able to finish all the 3/4 complete stories I've got floating around.
> 
> This one...I don't know, y'all. I don't condone the decisions made by our favorite knuckleheads. Love is messy. Fair warning, they don't go about it in the right way, but we end up with a happy/hopeful ending that I hope will make up for it. 
> 
> I don't know. I just hope it makes a good story.
> 
> As always, un-beta'ed.

Steve took a fortifying breath and set his jaw as the pushed open the glass doors to conference room 1204a. He gave a brief nod in greeting to the committee members that looked up from their paperwork in response to his arrival and made his way to the front. Steve forwent the computer with the projector that he never could quite manage gracefully and, with a sigh, set up his folding easel with his mock-ups as the last few members trickled in.

He absolutely would not make eye contact with the well dressed man in the back tinkering with his phone. A glance at the clock revealed that he still had three minutes before his presentation was scheduled to begin. He thrummed his fingers against his art briefcase and decided that two minutes early was close enough. 

“Good morning, everyone,” Steve spoke as he turned to the committee. “Thank you for being here today. I hope to not take up too much of your time. I believe that these few changes will significantly improve Stark Industries’ public perception and help us reach out to a previously underserved consumer base.”

He looked up as soon as Steve started talking, causing a legion of butterflies to take flight within Steve’s stomach. He never could make things easy. 

Steve took a steadying breath and plowed forward with his presentation. The sooner finished, the faster he could get away from Tony.

It was only eight short months ago that Steve first made eye contact with the infamous Tony Stark. After being medically discharged from the army and struggling through a few semesters of community college art school, he considered himself lucky to have even earned an interview for a graphic design position at SI. Tony Stark had looked at Steve Rogers and he had seen him. Mr. Stark’s eyes had crinkled at the corners and Steve knew then and there that he was done for. It was the first time that Steve felt alive since leaving the deserts of Afghanistan. It certainly didn’t help that Mr. Stark offered him the job on the spot.

“Any questions?” Steve concluded his presentation and swept his gaze vaguely across the tops of the heads of his audience. It was safer that way.

Mr. Lawson of course had questions about the budget, Steve had planned for that. Mr. Wong surprised him slightly with an insightful inquiry about timetables. After addressing their concerns, Steve waited just a brief moment for additional questions.

“Alright, well if no one has any other questions—“

“Looks great to me, Steve.” Tony was looking straight at him, Starkphone nowhere to be seen. Steve sincerely hoped that the look on his face wasn’t too obviously pleading to the other committee members. Tony coughed.

“Excuse me…Mr. Rogers. It looks great to me, Mr. Rogers. Let’s get the ball rolling on this, guys. Use whatever resources you need.” With that, Tony’s nose was buried back in his phone and he was already pushing his way out the double glass doors. 

Steve wasn’t sure whether the gnawing in his gut was relief or dismay.

 

 

Ten hours after having to face Tony in the conference room, Steve sat on his couch in his modest apartment. The beer he had pulled out the fridge earlier sat untouched and sweating on the coffee table next to five of its empty compatriots. Steve couldn’t bring himself to care.

Instead, he stared at the phone in his hand. The number pulled up on the screen taunted him. His fingers itched to hit the call button, despite the nagging voice in the back of his head reminding him of all the reasons why he shouldn’t. 

Screw it.

It only rang once before Tony’s voice came across the line.

“Steve? Uh, Mr. Rogers? Everything okay?” Steve couldn’t help but notice the tension in the genius’s voice despite the obvious care he was taking to keep his tone light.

“Yeah, yeah, no…everything’s fine, Tony.” 

“Ha! You used my first name! That gives me permission to use your first name for the remainder of this conversation. So, what can I do for you, Steve?” Steve could almost feel the stress draining from the brunette on the other end of the phone and couldn’t help but feel more relaxed himself. Just do it, he coached himself. Just give in.

“I was just wondering if you would like to come watch a movie with me. That is, if you’re not too busy. Tonight. We could watch a movie tonight. At my place.” Steve grimaced. At least he was as smooth as he had always been.

“I thought,” Tony’s voice trailed off before he restarted a bit softer and gentler. “I thought you didn’t want to watch any more movies with me, Steve.” Steve blew out his breath. Yep, he was getting called out and there was nothing to do but own up to it.

“I miss watching movies with you. I rented a good one. It has robots in it and I think you’ll like it.” That was almost owning up to it, right?

“Uh, sure.” Tony answered tentatively. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be over in a little bit. Need me to bring anything?”

“Just yourself. I have pizza and beer,” Steve winced at his own response. Thankfully Tony chuckled and promised that he was on his way.

 

 

The drive from Stark Tower to Steve’s apartment was 12 minutes long. As a man who appreciated a tight schedule, Steve knew this distance by heart. He made the commute twice daily, after all. 

Therefore, it was understandable that Steve was caught off guard when his front doorknob turned quickly to the right seven minutes after his phone call. The deadbolt prevented the door from swinging open, but the would-be-intruder wiggled the knob again stubbornly, undeterred by the failed first attempt. Steve crept forward on high alert with the lid of the trashcan clenched in his fist in a defensive position. As he reached for the knob, the wiggling abruptly stopped and, after a brief pause, a series of quick knocks rang out. 

“Identify yourself!” Steve called out. He heard Captain Rogers seep through the carefully constructed wall that Steve built when he re-entered civilian life, but, with his heart rate pushing 120 beats per minute, he couldn’t hold Captain Rogers back .

“Jesus, Steven! At ease!” Tony’s warm voice comes through the door mildly muffled.

Steve immediately felt some of the tension flow out of his muscle at the sound of the familiar voice. The vice on his chest seemed to loosen and he drew a deep breath. After he shook the remainder of the tension out of his shoulders, Steve released the deadbolt and cracked the door. Greeted with the sight of the man he had been trying to desperately to avoid lately, all that Steve could think to say was, “How the hell did you manage to get here in seven minutes?”

Tony looked caught off guard and somewhat disheveled. Steve found the sight not only disarming, but also incredibly endearing. A nervous grin broke out across the genius’s face at the sight of Steve. “I…uh…didn’t want you to change your – Hey! I brought popcorn! And beer! I know that you said that you already had beer. I just brought more beer. Just in case. Or restock your supply. Robots, you said?”

Tony brushed past him into the living room and Steve felt a smile bubbling up from wherever his smiles hid when Tony wasn’t around. Tony turned to shove the six pack into Steve’s hands and caught sight of the smile, causing Tony to match it with one of his own easy smiles. Steve was sure that Tony’s shoulders also dropped a couple inches and he knew that they were both starting to forget why they had been avoiding each other in the first place.

“I missed movie nights, too, buddy,” Tony offered softly. It was almost too much.

Steve could stare at Tony and smile stupidly at the man all night if given the opportunity, so instead he gestured vaguely at the humble couch. Tony just grinned and settled himself in, propping his feet up next to Steve’s forgotten beer. 

The soldier fumbled with several remotes before getting the movie queued up. He handed Tony a cold beer from the fridge and rescued his own from Tony’s constantly vibrating feet. Might as well not waste it. 

Steve finally plopped down on the couch just a tad too close to the man already occupying half of it. Tony threw his arm across the back of the couch, resting behind Steve’s shoulders. The proximity gave him a head rush. Steve raised his beer bottle to Tony’s in a soft clink. “Ready?”

“Ready as ever,” Tony replied and Steve tried not to read too much into it.

Steve picked at his soggy beer label. He shifted positions, first leaning forward and then leaning back. He was all too aware of the weight and warmth against his left thigh. Steve hardly knew what was going on with the movie, all of his attention focused on the contact. Despite the familiarity, it ignited something within him that screamed at him to take what he wanted. 

“These are Transformers, Steve.”

“Hmm?” Steve wittily replied.

“You said robots,” Tony grinned. “These are Autobots and Decepticons. Ergo, Transformers.”

“They look like robots to me.” Steve raised his eyebrow in challenge. He knew that Tony got a kick out of arguing technicalities with him. Who was he to deny the billionaire from anything that would bring him joy?

“Robots are a manmade construction without sentience. Transformers are alien lifeforms from a planet where machinery is the basis of life instead of organic material. Besides, Transformers have the AllSpark.” Tony finished his soliloquy by staring at Steve as if anything that he just said made any sense whatsoever.

“Then what is JARVIS?” Steve countered. Tony growled audibly and the blonde couldn’t help but let another smile slip out.

“Now you’re just trying to get under my skin.” Tony was close, closer than Steve remembered him being just a moment before. Steve could feel the couch shifting as Tony leaned in even closer. Tony broke eye contact, stealing a glance at Steve’s lips and Steve couldn’t help but dart his tongue out to wet them. 

Tony let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a stifled moan. They were just inches apart. It would be so easy just to lean in and...

A banging at the door made them jump apart. Risking a glance back at his houseguest, Steve noticed Tony breathing heavily and wondered if he looked nearly as wrecked himself. 

“Pizza,” Steve murmured. Tony just quirked his lips and bobbed his head in agreement.

Shifting his pants to hide the bulge that was rapidly forming just a moment ago, Steve stood and made his way to the front door with cash in hand. He smiled politely at the delivery boy who looked too young to drive as they exchanged the food and money and tried to give a reasonable tip that wouldn’t break his own budget. Pizza boy gave a half hearted pleasantry and turned to leave as Steve shut the door.

He didn’t even manage to get the deadbolt locked before he found his lips attached to another set, van dyke scratching pleasantly against Steve’s chin. 

The pizza box hit the floor, but Steve didn’t remember letting go of it. All he could focus on was the set of hands scrambling to get a hold of his admittedly too tight tee shirt and peel it off. The second Steve shook free of his shirt, his lips and hands were back to worshiping Tony. 

He honestly tried to unbutton the expensive shirt that remained the last barrier between Tony’s beautiful skin on his, but Tony groaned and ground his hips into Steve’s and whatever was left of Steve’s willpower instantly vanished.

Buttons bounced off the hardwood floor, off to hide in dark corners where they would inevitably haunt Steve later. Still, it was hard for Steve to find the strength to care when he had a half naked Tony Stark in front of him, rubbing their clothed erections against each other.

“Tell me to stop, Steve,” Tony husked out against Steve’s ear. The feeling of the heavy breath against his face was enough to send a shiver down Steve’s spine that settled in his groin. Steve’s breath caught and it took him a minute to reroute enough blood to his brain to form a coherent answer.

“Please don’t stop, Tony.” 

That broke the dam. 

Tony surged up into him, nearly knocking them both to the ground, hot mouth pressed firmly against Steve’s. For a moment, their teeth clacked uncomfortably as they fought to draw each other impossibly closer. Tony managed to get ahold of Steve’s tongue and sucked on it lewdly. Steve retaliated by biting Tony’s lower lip and licking it better, careful to not leave any lingering marks. Steve finally released his prey when Tony finally got a hand down Steve’s magically unzipped pants to grab his throbbing cock. Growling, Steve lifted the smaller man by the ass and pinned him firmly against the nearest wall, sucking gently at Tony’s neck and grinding relentlessly into him as Tony feet dug into Steve’s backside to egg him on. 

Tony’s fingers tightened in Steve’s hair, yanking backward and forcing Steve to retreat. “Bedroom,” Tony croaked. Steve acquiesced, guiding Tony backwards to their destination as if Tony didn’t know the way. 

There was a momentary pause as they entered Steve’s room. Steve would never grow tired of seeing Tony standing there in his room, half-debauched and eyes full of hunger. He hated to admit that there were more than a few doodles of the very scene in front of him in a secret sketchbook hidden under his bed. At the moment, though, he couldn’t bring himself to care about the deeper meaning of his secret sketches because in front of him stood a problem that involved Tony wearing entirely too many clothes.

He lunged forward and grasped at Tony’s belt, undoing it swiftly and nearly ripping the button off before his fingers could convince it to release, as Tony licked at that sensitive spot just below his jaw. 

“Oh! Jesus, Tony! Please!” Steve wasn’t even entirely sure what he was begging for, but Tony gave it to him anyway. Tony shoved and Steve fell backward onto his bed, watching hungrily as Tony pushed his jeans over his hips and let him hit the ground. Tony crawled on top of him, catching Steve’s mouth in a fevered kiss. 

Steve felt a yank on the waistband of his boxers and he helpfully lifted his hips, neither breathing the kiss. As soon as his legs were freed, Steve pulled Tony’s body firmly against his own and flipped them both over. 

What a view.

Steve looked down at Tony, his beautiful eyes reflecting the light pouring in from the living room. They were so warm, so safe, so encouraging. 

Steve leaned down, brushing their lips together softly, and he knew that Tony felt it, too. 

He allowed himself to get lost in their tender kisses. He swallowed Tony’s soft hisses and moans as he worked him open. Then, he hushed and praised and reassured the amazing man beneath him and Steve finally slid his slicked cock into Tony’s impossibly tight hole. All of the fire from earlier had died away, but as Steve slowly rocked into Tony he realized that this was somehow so much more intense. 

Their eyes locked as Steve found a steady pace, Tony rolling his hips up to confirm that it was perfect for both of them. It wasn’t until Steve shifted his angle and began hitting that bundle of nerves with every thrust that Tony threw his head back, breaking their eye contact. Steve didn’t relent despite Tony’s half hearted pleading. He planted kisses along Tony’s neck and knees that were draped over Steve’s shoulders, but never faltered in his rhythm. Steve took Tony apart once piece at a time until he was blubbering mess. Only then did Steve tenderly wrap a hand around Tony’s cock, already slick with pre-cum, and push his lover over the edge. Feeling Tony clamp down on his cock was all Steve needed to bring him to his own orgasm.

They usually didn’t cuddle afterward, but somehow tonight was different. They clung to each other as they came down from their post-coital high. Steve pressed soft kisses into Tony’s sweaty hair, whispering how good he was. 

It was almost perfect.

The familiar sound of Tony’s ring tone jarred both men out of their daze. As Tony reached around to grab his phone out of his jeans pocket, the gold band on his left hand caught the light.

“Hey, Pep!” Tony answered brightly. Steve rolled away and turned on his bedside lamp, sickness filling his stomach. “Oh, yeah, I’m just over at Steve’s watching a movie.”

Tony paused and Steve could hear Pepper Potts-Stark’s muffled voice on the other side of the line. “Sure, I’ll ask him. I’m sure he will.” Tony replied followed by more light murmuring. “Okay, I love you, too.”

Their moment was gone. There was no ignoring it. Steve tossed a damp washcloth at Tony that he had retrieved from his bathroom and hastily started dressing. He tried to tamp down the feelings of self loathing, but somehow couldn’t manage it.

“So…that was Pepper,” Tony tried. Steve was sure that the other man was aiming for lighthearted, but, unsurprisingly, he missed his mark. 

“Oh?” Steve’s tone matched.

“She’d like you and Sharon to come to dinner tonight. Pep ordered Italian.” Tony wouldn’t look up from the washcloth he turned through his fingers. Steve didn’t even have to look over at him to know that. 

“Uh, well, Sharon and I aren’t really like that.” Steve winced at his own words, praying that Tony wouldn’t question any further.

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“We’re not in a relationship. We don’t double date.” It was getting harder to force lightness into the conversation, but Steve was trying, dammit.

“Why aren’t you in a relationship? I’m sure she’d love the commitment. She’s head over heels for you.” Son of a bitch.

“Because it doesn’t feel right to offer her a relationship when I’m in love with someone else.” Oops. 

That got Tony’s attention. Honestly, Steve expected Tony to lash out, to cut him down and push him away like only Tony Stark could. He certainly didn’t expect to watch the engineer’s face morph into such a stomach wrenchingly sorrowful expression.

Great. Pity.

He sensed the words before Tony’s lips even moved. “Steve—“

“No.” Steve shocked himself with the strength in his voice.

“Steve, listen –“

“Stop.” As one of the greatest tactical minds the military had produced in recent history, Steve knew when to organize a retreat. He needed to put space between himself and Tony. He either needed to make Tony leave or he needed to abandon his own apartment. Being that Steve was the only one dressed and Tony wasn’t making any moves toward his own discarded clothing, that narrowed the options. 

“Is that why you called things off?” Tony’s words weren’t as muffled as they should be. Evidently, he had no qualms about walking around Steve’s apartment naked as he trailed just steps behind the soldier through the living room.

“I never said that I was talking about you.” Steve knew that his argument was weak. He reached for the doorknob.

“Steve!” 

Tony lunged forward, throwing himself between Steve and his only escape route. Arms splayed and naked as a jay bird, he stared Steve down as if he were trying to catch a wounded animal. Steve was sure the scene would have been hilarious if he hadn’t just had his heart broken. 

“Steve, please…” Tony whispered, reaching out catch Steve’s hand. Steve just pulled back. 

“What?” Steve questioned softly, “Is now when you tell me that this is just for fun and I was an idiot to develop feelings? Is this when you tell me that you love her and you’ll never leave her? Or, do you tell me that you would leave her for me if you could, but you can’t because it would be disastrous for the company?” He knew it wasn’t fair. He knew from the start what this was, what he would be to Tony. He knew from the first time he stared into Tony’s big brown eyes that this is what they would become, but, like a moth to flame, he just couldn’t stop himself.

“Steve, I love you.” Tony, to his credit, never broke eye contact. Steve tried to laugh, but it was just a dry sob. 

“But?” Steve offered. He could hear it at the end of Tony’s proclamation of love even without it being verbal.

Tony chewed his bottom lip, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally making an attempt at an answer.

“I…It’s complicated.” 

Steve nodded, not trusting his voice. Once he started, he couldn’t stop just nodding on and on continuously like a bobble head. It was either that or cry and he was damn sure not going to let Tony see the latter happen. 

He was so distracted by trying to reign in his emotions that he forgot to step away when Tony reached for him again. Warm, olive arms wrapped around the back of his neck and pulled his face into Tony’s shoulder. Allowing himself to be comforted, Steve snaked his arms around Tony’s waist. Another dry sob escaped his throat as Tony babbled on about how beautiful and perfect Steve was and how much he loved him. 

“Just, please, come to dinner.” 

Steve shook his head. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but your wife is the last person I want to see right now.” 

“Please, Steve?” Tony stepped back to try to catch Steve’s gaze. “I’m begging you. For me? Please come?” 

Steve was weak and Tony knew it. He knew that Steve could never deny him anything.

“Fine. I’ll come.”

The smile that spread across Tony’s face could have lit Steve’s apartment for a month. He pressed kisses and “thank you’s” into Steve’s cheeks and hairline and made all sorts of promises about how Steve wouldn’t regret it and Tony would make it worth his while as he pulled his clothes back on. 

Steve made sure to give Tony a deep, lingering kiss before letting the genius slip out the front door. Yes, he assured that he would be there for dinner right after a shower. He watched Tony wave goodbye from the drivers seat of a sports car he couldn’t name and waved back.

Steve walked back to his bedroom and retrieved his cellphone from where it had fallen beneath the bed. He scrolled through his most recent contacts list and hit dial on the second name.

“Hey, Sam. I was just wondering if that job opening in DC is still available?”

 

 

It wasn’t as hard as he thought it was going to be to start over. He didn’t own much, so the move was easy. Sam even let Steve crash with him for the first three months, so he had plenty of time to find a nice apartment in his price range. Giving up on art was difficult. Still, Steve knew that he had been groomed to be a weapon. He didn’t belong in the civilian world, anyway. If the army wouldn’t take him, working security at the UN would have to be second best. If only art was the hardest thing to let go of.

He tried not to pay too much attention to business news. Dwelling in the past would only prevent him from moving forward. What he was moving forward to, however, Steve was uncertain. Maybe one day he’d find purpose. Until then, Steve would just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

It was a Sunday when the doorbell rang. It could have been Sam or Nat or the elderly Mrs. Bernstein from next door. Steve wasn’t expecting anyone. It could have been Mr. Ford the landlord. Maybe it could have been the Mormon boys hoping to have a chat. 

None of them would ring the doorbell again for the second time in less than ten seconds. There was only one person that impatient who had ever come into Steve’s life. A small part of him was still surprised when he found Tony Stark standing on his doorstep, poised to ring the doorbell a third time.

“Tony?” Steve’s heart thudded in his chest. His mind raced at warp speed, jumping to a thousand different conclusions at once as to why the brunette was standing before him.

“Oh! Hey, Steve,” Tony made it sound as if he was surprised to run into him. “Can I come in?” Before Steve had the chance to answer, Tony was already brushing past him and beelining for the fridge.

“What are you doing here?”

Tony emerged from the fridge with two beers, holding one out towards Steve. Steve accepted it only to set it down. With Tony Stark, you had to pick your battles. 

“How do I look?” It was a hell of a non sequitur, but Steve was well practiced in Starkese.

“Like a million bucks. What are you doing here?” The trick was not letting him get you off track. 

Tony frowned. “I know that you don’t mean that to be hurtful...really, Steve? How do I look?”

“You look fine, Tony! Now, what is this about? I thought you would understand that I wanted space when I quit! Why are you here? How did you even find me?”

Tony just stared at him, searching Steve’s face for an answer that he hadn’t verbalized. He took a step closer and Steve stood his ground, using every ounce of his will to not reach out and touch. Tony finally looked away, fiddling with the corners of a stack of papers tucked under his arm.

“You didn’t show up to dinner.” Tony’s jaw tightened, then relaxed as he shook his head. “I was mad, thought you were just being an ass. Thought maybe you were trying to make a point.”

“Look—“ Steve tried, but was immediately cut off.

“Pepper got your letter of immediate resignation while we were waiting for you. JARVIS fowarded it straight to her. He must have thought it was important.” Tony continued to pick at the edges of the paper, then moved to play with the binder clip holding them together.

“Tony, I can’t do this.” Steve couldn’t listen to this anymore. Tony was recounting the most difficult decision of Steve’s life as if it were nothing. As if Steve hadn’t broken down and cried as he made the midnight drive from Manhattan to DC. Steve couldn’t even remember the last time he had cried prior to that. “I can’t be around you and not be with you. I can’t be with you and not have all of you. I can’t do that. We should have never gotten involved.”

“God, I was really hoping that you wouldn’t say something like that.” Tony swallowed thickly and huffed out a humorless laugh. “Fuck! We expedited everything! I called in favors, Steve! Big ones!” Tony paced to the door, then pivoted quickly coming back at Steve. Steve braced for a punch or a slap, but it never came. Tony pressed the stack of papers into Steve’s chest, waiting for Steve to take them before once again heading for the door. A quick glance at the top paper had Steve jolting forward to grab the brunette by the wrist.

“Tony?” Steve was breathless. His ears pounded with the sound of his own pulse. It couldn’t be. “What is this?”

Tony didn’t fight Steve’s grip, but his voice was harsh. “Divorce papers.”

“What? Why would you do this?” Steve knew that he had to be misunderstanding the situation. Things like this didn’t happen to Steve. Why would Tony Stark – genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist – be showing Steve his divorce papers from Pepper Potts-Stark?

“I said, these are divorce papers, Steve. Don’t be dense. Well, they’re copies of divorce papers. The court wouldn’t let me bring the originals. I told them that I was trying to make a statement, but apparently that wasn’t a good enough reason for them to let me have the original paperwork. Divorce papers, Steven! I divorced my very Canadian, very platonic, wife of two years. So, there you go!”

Steve glanced down at the hand he had captured and saw that the gold band was gone. He knew he had to say something, but nothing seemed right. Don’t leave. I love you. Be with me. “Canadian?” Brilliant, Steve. Brilliant. 

Steve’s gaze flowed up from his grasp to Tony’s arm, then all the way up to meet Tony’s gaze. Maybe Tony could hear everything Steve meant to say.

“Canadian.” Tony repeated. On second thought, maybe he couldn’t. “She’s one of my best friends, Steve. After everything fell apart, when I didn’t know who I could trust, all I had was her and Rhodey. She spent so much time with me in the hospital during my recovery, she let her green card lapse. It was the least I could do. There were already rumors about her and me. I couldn’t lose her too, Steve.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Steve wanted to believe him. God, he wanted it so bad. It was everything he ever wanted.

“I wanted to,” Tony reassured, taking a step closer. “I swear to God I did, Steve. It was one of the few things Pep and I ever fought about. We agreed that we could hook up with other people as long as we kept it discreet, but then you came along. I wanted…I still do want to be very much not discreet with you. Pep thought I was throwing away everything that I had offered her. She was just months away from getting her citizenship. She thought that if we told even one person that our secret would be compromised. Not even Rhodey knew. He still doesn’t. I’m not really sure what that says about our relationship that he so wholeheartedly accepted that Pep and I were together. I’m just going to chalk it up to all those deployments and TBI’s he’s had.”

Steve couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed Tony by the back of the head and crashed their lips together. Tony’s tongue pressed at the seem of Steve’s lips, begging for entrance, but Steve pulled away.

“Just so we’re clear, you’re single?” Steve breathed against Tony’s lips. Tony groaned and nodded, pressing forward to chase Steve’s lips. Steve pressed him back. He had one more question. “And Pepper? She’s okay?” 

“Steve,” Tony pleaded. “Yes! She’s fine! Right now she’s banging my driver! They’ve been together for almost a year! Now, please don’t make me beg.”

“Well, I kind of like the idea of that,” Steve admitted with a smirk. “I want you to tell me what you want.”

“Well, first I want you to fuck me in this hellhole. Yes, it’s a hellhole, Steve. We’re in DC. Then, I want you to come home. With me. I don’t care whether or not you work for SI again, but you’re job is there if you want it. Or you can just take a job as my pool boy.” Tony made another attempt for Steve’s lips, but Steve just laughed and evaded him again.

“You don’t have a pool, Tony.”

“I’ll fucking build one.” Tony grabbed Steve’s face with both hands and dragged him down, lips meeting in a filthy kiss. Their story may not be pretty or romantic. They’d probably have to change some of the details when they told their children, but it was all Steve could ever ask for.

“Do you still love me?”

“God help me, I do.”

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know. If it's too terrible, just tell me. I'll take it down. I definitely don't approve of infidelity. I know it makes Cap a bit OOC to even go for it in the first place. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> :0]


End file.
